Thoughts on the Memo

The summary memo, written by Rep. Nunes regarding abuses at the DOJ and FBI was declassified and released yesterday.  Quite frankly, I was not shocked or even surprised by its contents since I have (sadly) come to accept that many establishment leaders lie, mislead, and care little for our laws or Constitution. What was, however, interesting to observe and reflect upon was the many reactions to the memo, both before and after its release.

It is important to remember as we reflect upon the memo and the reactions to it that when the FBI initially reviewed the memo it stated that there were no inaccuracies in the memo.

That review and statement by the FBI would seem to negate many of the Democrat assertions that the memo is full of lies.  Of course, as Alan Dershowitz has stated, we will never know for sure unless and until we actually see the underlying documents – the affidavits that led to the FISA warrents.  As Prof. Dershowitz has stated, this requires further investigation.

There was a time when I would have relied upon the media to conduct much of that investigation.  I grew up reading the reports of Woodward and Bernstein and the Watergate investigations.  That was a time when the press sought to uncover and bring information to light and to the people, and when they did it as a part of their duty to duty to inform the people rather than to further a particular political agenda.  Thus, their complicity in cover-ups and hiding or ignoring information is hard for me to accept.  Yet, their agenda is the Russia investigation as it can be used to damage Trump and so this memo and the civil liberties violations as well as any questions it may raise about the basis for some of Mr. Mueller’s evidence that it reveals is not of importance to them, especially when those violations were perpetrated by individuals aligned with the Democrat party.

But, let’s back up and consider the Democrat (and media) hysteria prior to the memo’s release.  To hear them, one would think that the world would come to an end if the people were to see this memo.  They told us it was full of lies (remember, the FBI itself stated no inaccuracies);  they said that it was an attack on not only the entire FBI, but the entire intelligence community (yet, as I read it, the memo singles out a few select individuals who did not live up to the high quality behavior that generally exists in the FBI and the rest of the intelligence community); the Democrats asserted that if the memo was released the people would not understand it (just another example of their disdain and disrespect for the people of this country). 

Note to Democrats:  the world did not end yesterday when the memo was released.  The people of the country are perfectly capable of reading it for what it is:  a statement of evidence that supports a finding of grievous violations by specific individuals within the FBI.  This is something that the people of this country have a right to know about.    And, we should all be asking if this is the extend of such violations or if they are or were more pervasive.

This memo is not about the Mueller investigation.  To the Republicans and Trump supporters who think it demands that investigation end, the memo does not do that (although, in my opinion, the investigation should end for many other reasons, but that is a subject for another post).  And the Democrats who think this is some sort of devious attempt to get rid of Mueller are wrong (perhaps they are the ones who are too stupid to read or understand the memo!)

The memo simply summarizes certain facts garnered by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence through their ongoing investigation into the DOJ and FBI and their use of FISA surveillance during the 2016 presidential campaign and election.  Again, we must remember that upon reading the memo prior to its release the FBI stated there were no inaccuracies. 

The memo is not an attack on the FBI, but simply reveals the corrupt actions of a few in power there:  corrupt actions that should be brought to light for the sake of the many good and dedicated people and public servants at the FBI.  I cannot fathom why this information should not be released to the people of this country.  We the people can read it for what it is and come to our own conclusions.  And, if we read the memo with an unbiased mind and with no political agenda we can see exactly what it says and what it does not say.

The memo tells us that there is evidence that supports conclusions that specific high-level individuals within our FBI and Justice systems lied to and withheld relevant information from the FISA Court in order to obtain warrants for surveillance of American citizens.  It tells us that unverified and unreliable partisan political documents formed the basis for warrant requests and the partisan basis was withheld from the Court.  The Deputy Director of FBI testified to the Committee that no surveillance warrant would have been sought without the unverified information that was nonetheless used to obtain the warrants.  The memo tells us that there were at least four opportunities for the FBI/DOJ to provide accurate information to the Court, yet that information was omitted.  The memo also tells us that certain high-level individuals with clear anti-Trump biases orchestrated leaks to the media intended to be harmful to Trump and/or helpful to the Democrat candidate.

This is serious stuff.   FISA warrants to surveil American citizens are requested and issued in secrecy and so we the people must depend upon those who request the warrants to act with the highest standards.  Those warrants cannot be used for political or personal purposes.  A wrongfully obtained warrant is a violation of the civil liberties that we in this country hold so dear.  We the people have a right to know when those high standards have not been met and we must hold accountable those who use their positions of power to violate someone’s civil liberties and to use a legitimate Court process to further personal and political agendas.

The FBI did not want the memo released; they and the Democrats asked that all names be omitted.  James Comey, one of those high officials mentioned in the memo, following the release of the memo tweeted, “That’s it?  Dishonest and misleading memo wrecked the House intel committee, destroyed trust with Intelligence Community, damaged relationship with FISA court and inexcusably exposed classified investigation of an American citizen.  For what?  DOJ & FBI must keep doing their jobs.”

Yes Mr. Comey, that is it, and it is disgraceful that you and your cronies with your lies and omissions and partisanship damaged the relationship of your agency with the FISA court and improperly obtained a warrant to spy upon an American citizen.  Yes, the DOJ and FBI must keep doing their jobs, something that you were not doing when you took it upon yourself to mislead a court because you felt your political agenda surpassed your duty to the American people.  And, as the FBI itself stated, the memo contained no inaccuracies, therefore contrary to your assertion, it is not dishonest, and it is inconceivable how it might have “wrecked” the committee.  What it did do is wreck the secret power structure (of which you seem to have been a part) that decided that its wishes were more important than the law.

Mr. Comey’s response reflects that of the Democrats.  Apparently, he and they believe that it is perfectly OK to use partisan campaign material to obtain surveillance warrants and that it is perfectly OK to lie to a Court as long as it fits your personal political agenda.  This is a big deal, even though the memo itself may not be.  This is about the abuse of power.   This is about a select few acting behind the cover of the very legitimate FISA courts to subvert the laws of this country and the will of the people for their own political gain.  This is about a select group deciding that the ends – their ends – justify the means, even if those means defy our laws and our Constitution and our civil liberties and our freedoms.

The memo is perhaps not the big deal it was and continues to be hyped.  But what it reveals is a very big deal.  It is something that a free and unbiased press would be investigating and reporting because this is something that the people not only have a right to know but about which they must be informed so that they can demand and protect the rights and freedoms that stand at the core of our democracy:  that this is a government of, for, and by the people and not one controlled in secret by a select few.

How the State of The Union Revealed that the Democrats Are Fully Against That Very Union

Just a few short notes on yesterday’s State of the Union address.  Short, because anyone who is interested likely watched it and observed exactly what I will reflect upon here.  Those who are less interested in the actual state of our union than they are in talking points and personal or political agendas don’t really care anyway since their minds are already fully made up, even in advance of the speech.

It has been a long time since I have heard such positivism and pride in America and to me it sounded wonderful.  There was hope and love for country.  President Trump was able to give a long litany of the many good things that have been done for the people (not the powered elite) during his first year as president.  But, whether one agrees with all his accomplishments or not, one has to admit that his actions have all been for the people of this country and that his presidency is making the lives of our citizens better, both literally and in the mental state of hope that is on the rise in America.  And, the underlying theme was that the President truly understands and believes that ours is a government of the people and that it is his intention to return our government to those people from a group of power hungry elites who think they know better than the populace what is good for them and who have hijacked our government over the last several years.  

Beyond the words coming from the President, the most interesting and telling aspect of the speech was the reaction of the Democrats in attendance.  How could they sit stone-faced, cringing, or worse when the President pointed out things like:  the lowest minority unemployment rates ever; the heroic deeds performed by our first responders and military; the growth in our economy and the positive effects it is already having on the regular people in this land; and even the infrastructure plan that Democrats themselves once supported before this president was elected.  When the President laid out an enormously generous immigration proposal the Democrats openly booed.  And of course they sat on their hands and glared when he spoke of pride in our country, our spirit, and our flag, just as they refused to show any support for the President’s calls for bipartisanship and working together across the aisle.

If the Democrats truly cared about this country they would cheer its successes and positive effects on the people of this land regardless of who brought them about.  So what we seem to have learned is that is not at all what the Democrats care about.  They are totally enveloped in their bubble of hate:  hatred of Donald Trump, hatred that their very flawed candidate lost the election, hatred of any success that the President might have, even when it is for the good of the people that they supposedly represent.  They do not want to see the people benefit from a strong economy, they do not want to see or feel pride in our country, they don’t even seem to want to help the DACA folks whom they claim to support.  They do not want to work together with their colleagues across the aisle for the good of our country.  They just want to hate.  And in doing so it seems that they hate the very country itself and the democracy and freedom that are its shining lights.

So, what do these Democrats want?  It seems it is only their own power.  They do not care about America or Americans except as they might be useful to them in obtaining and retaining power.  And, if the people are happy, doing well, then the Democrats fear losing their power since their approach is to keep the people down and unhappy so that they must be dependent on the offerings of the Democrat’s vision of big government and its companion loss of personal independence and freedom.  President Trump and his return of power to the people and its companions of hope and success are a threat to the Democrats’ elite power.  Of course they hate Trump.

Rather than think of the people and cheer the successes that President Trump has brought and continues to bring to this country and its people, the Democrats can do nothing but hate and attack.  Anyone who watched the State of the Union speech saw this loud and clear.  Anyone who didn’t should watch a replay of the entire speech and see the reactions of these alleged representatives of the American  people to the many successes for those people over the past year which the President outlined.  You have to watch the speech, because the media (which is primarily the voice of the power hungry Democrats) will not give an objective or full account.  Rather, they will pickily find this or that small flaw, then return to the Russia story which continues to be the hope of the Democrats to remove from office a man who truly represents the people and their country.

I end with the concluding lines of the President’s speech (lines that caused at least one Democrat to walk out in disgust).  How can any true American not stand and applaud?

It was that same yearning for freedom that nearly 250 years ago gave birth to a special place called America. It was a small cluster of colonies caught between a great ocean and a vast wilderness. But it was home to an incredible people with a revolutionary idea: that they could rule themselves. That they could chart their own destiny. And that, together, they could light up the world.

That is what our country has always been about. That is what Americans have always stood for, always strived for, and always done.

Atop the dome of this Capitol stands the Statue of Freedom. She stands tall and dignified among the monuments to our ancestors who fought and lived and died to protect her.

Monuments to Washington and Jefferson -- to Lincoln and King.

Memorials to the heroes of Yorktown and Saratoga -- to young Americans who shed their blood on the shores of Normandy, and the fields beyond. And others, who went down in the waters of the Pacific and the skies over Asia.

And freedom stands tall over one more monument: this one. This Capitol. This living monument to the American people.

A people whose heroes live not only in the past, but all around us -- defending hope, pride, and the American way.

They work in every trade. They sacrifice to raise a family. They care for our children at home. They defend our flag abroad. They are strong moms and brave kids. They are firefighters, police officers, border agents, medics, and Marines.

But above all else, they are Americans. And this Capitol, this city, and this Nation, belong to them.

Our task is to respect them, to listen to them, to serve them, to protect them, and to always be worthy of them.

Americans fill the world with art and music. They push the bounds of science and discovery. And they forever remind us of what we should never forget: The people dreamed this country. The people built this country. And it is the people who are making America great again.

As long as we are proud of who we are, and what we are fighting for, there is nothing we cannot achieve.

As long as we have confidence in our values, faith in our citizens, and trust in our God, we will not fail.

Our families will thrive.

Our people will prosper.

And our Nation will forever be safe and strong and proud and mighty and free.

Thank you, and God bless America.

One Year

"What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people."-Donald J. Trump, 1/20/2017

Despite the Democrats’ wishes to the contrary, Donald Trump has now been our President for one year.  He has indeed made great strides in returning the government of this country to its people, continually fighting desperate attempts by the Democrats and other deeply entrenched establishment types to retain control for themselves.

Here are just a few of the accomplishments of President Trump and his administration:  Jobs are up, unemployment is down, dramatically so for minorities; real weekly earnings are up; the economic growth rate is up; illegal border crossings are down; home prices and home ownership are up; corporate profits are up; manufacturing jobs are up; tax bill already showing benefits to individuals and corporations; carbon dioxide emissions are down; support for troops and veterans; foreign policy successes.

Sadly, we hear little about any of the positives of Trump’s presidency from the main stream media who, like the Democrats whose ideology it speaks, have such a hatred for Donald Trump that they are blinded to anything that does not support that hatred.

When I started writing this blog a year ago it was in large part in response to the vitriolic hatred being spewed against the new President.  Naively I thought that the Democrats and other Trump-haters would get over it in a few weeks.  I understood that they were shocked that someone so unlike them could be elected and that so many people held views contrary to their own.  They were hurt and angry, and I assumed it would take a little time, but that they would come to accept that everyone in the country was not like them and that while they did not particularly like Donald Trump or his policies that they would accept that he was indeed their President and would respect and support him as holder of that office, even if they did not particularly like the man himself.

But, how wrong I was; I assumed these were rational people, people who would get over it and accept their loss, people who respected the process and the office of the president, people who would work to further issues of their concern for the good of the country.  That has not happened; instead, their hatred simply grows.  It is not rational. The Democrats and other anti-Trumpers seem to be living in a world where, before Trump they were totally in charge and could do as they pleased, making decisions for the people as they wished rather than letting the people be in charge.  Now they are faced with someone who understands how our democracy works and who indeed believes that the country belongs to the people, not to an elite few.  This is a threat to them: the anti-Trump brigade wants to run not only their own lives, but those of everyone, and the loss of their power to do so seems to have, in their eyes, threatened their entire existence. Thus, they hate Trump on a very personal level.

Hating Trump seems to be the only issue left to the Democrats.  It begins with their hatred of the man.  He is not like them.  He understands those who are not like him.  He believes that America belongs to all the people and not just an elite few.  He is less concerned with his own power than he is with the power of the country and its people.   And, he is indeed making strides in making America great again.  This is disrupting the comfortable world of the Democrats and their power.

I have come to believe that the current Democrat power structure does not care a wit for this country or its people.  They care only about their own power and their ability to create a country and a world that they envision, regardless of whether that is what the people would choose.  I think they truly believe that anyone who is not in lock step with them is indeed a stupid deplorable.

The fact that the Democrats don’t care one bit for the people they pretend to support, or for the country itself, is evident from their latest game that resulted in shutting down the government.  This seems to turn on DACA and immigration.  Let’s go back a bit:  the legislature was well on its way to a bipartisan agreement on these issues.  But, if the issues are resolved, the Democrats lose that method of fomenting hate against Trump as well as that alleged compassion of their own used as a method to garner support and votes from minorities.  So, instead they return to their narrative of Trump being racist and use that not only as a method for killing the bipartisan solution to immigration, but to shutting down the government as well.  That does not serve the people of this country well.  It may however, give the Democrats talking points, for their shut down will hurt much of Trumps positive effects on the economy, it will hurt our troops and the progress made in foreign policy.  Talking points to garner support for their own power: that is what the Democrats care about, not the country or its people.

Not being a psychologist, I cannot understand how hatred can so overtake a person or a group of people that they would destroy their own country in order to sustain their hatred. I do believe, however, that if the Democrats do not find an issue other than “hate Trump” that they will eventually only succeed in destroying themselves.   If not so filled with and blinded by hatred perhaps these people could actually address and discuss varying views on actual issues. But, their hatred is being used only for their own power and purposes and eventually that can only lead to their demise. 

So, on this anniversary of President Trump’s inauguration I applaud the President for his many successes.  I am in awe of his ability to stand strong in the face of unending and vitriolic hatred.  I accept that he is not perfect, that he is not as refined or as eloquent as some might envision a leader to be, but I also see in him a man who holds the beliefs for our country that our founders envisioned and who is doing everything in his power to uphold and further that vision that is embodied in our Constitution and our history.  We live in a great country; it has lost some of its greatness during the past few years as the power of the people has been usurped by the power of a self-interested ruling class.  President Trump is working to reverse that and make America not only great again, but even greater than it has ever been.  Go Trump!

The Politicization of Truth

We seem to be living in an era where one’s ideology determines what one’s Truth is.  How else can you explain the assault on the medical report issued by the doctor who examined President Trump, as well as, it should be noted, President’s Obama and Bush?  Because some so want to believe that the President is not fit for office, either physically or mentally, because that truth does not fit their reality, we have them questioning the physician as well as making their own pronouncements of the President’s ill health despite the report and despite the fact that, unlike the report’s author, they have conducted no examination whatsoever of the President.

 

Similarly, how can one explain that while Sen. Durbin is the only one who claims to have heard the President utter the word S***hole during a meeting, and despite the fact that at least 4 others present assert that the word was not uttered, those whose agenda the remark supports, including the main stream media, continue to take the word’s utterance as a proven fact. 

Let’s consider some examples of ideology rather than truth controlling our political narrative since Mr. Trump became President Trump.  The Democrats, as well as some Republicans and others were so stunned they could not accept the election results.  Thus began a multitude of attempts to unseat President Trump from office.  Hence, despite no evidence in over a year’s time, we are still hearing about collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign as if it were truth. The digging for evidence goes on and far outside any fields with any relevance to such collusion yet the Democrats hang on, because collusion supports their ideological goals.  But, when that story failed to unseat the President, those who were and are determined to do so had to look for other “truths” that would lead to their desired result.  We have had the stories about the President’s mental health – now disproven by an examination by a competent doctor.  Nonetheless, the belief that he is mentally ill remains a truth for may whose ideology it suits.  (I hate to tell these people, but just because someone behaves in a way they don’t like, or holds views and values different from theirs, or supports policies contrary to their own, does not make someone mentally ill).  We also have the allegations that the President is a sexual predator or the story that the President is a racist.  I have yet to see any concrete proof of either.  The President, unlike some of his opponents, does not single out individuals based on their race, but tries to treat all Americans equally.  Nonetheless, those whose ideology is served by having a racist president, will see their view as “truth.”

Let’s consider how asserting that President Trump is racist serves the current Democrat ideology.  The Democrats assert their concern for Dreamers (I’m not sure they really are concerned, but appearing so is part of their political and campaign strategy).  If a deal were reached that gave some sort of permanent status to Dreamers, but also compromised in a way to give some of the other immigration demands of Trump and Republicans, Trump might actually get some good press from the Democrat’s base.  They don’t want that.  So, instead they can push Durbin’s story, say they can’t work with the President because he is a racist, and either leave the DACA situation unresolved (and blame Trump) or demand that to prove he is not racist he must sign a non-compromise bill that only gives the Democrats their demands on this issue.  This is just part of their political strategy.  And in my opinion, it is sick if not un-American.

Let’s just assume for a minute that the President did refer to Haiti as a S***hole country.  So what?  That, my friends, is not a racist statement.  And, following that statement with the comment that we should let in more Asians and people from Norway also does not support a charge of racism.  What it does support is the idea that we should look to what those seeking immigration have to bring to our country.  Maybe that idea could have been stated more eloquently, but there has never been an argument that Trump is an eloquent speaker.    Again, failure to be eloquent is not proof of racism, or mental illness, or Russian collusion, or sexual predation, or any other of the many narratives that the Democrats try to put forth as a reason to end the Trump presidency.

We now have some legislators, lead by Rep. Lewis, announcing their boycott of the State of the Union address because the president is racist.  As noted above, that is their truth, based not on fact, but on their ideology and what they simply wish were true.  In their minds it justifies their refusal to work with the president, but in the end it is simply disrespectful of the Office and of our democratic Institutions and system of government.  It is not helpful to the country or to the American people whom these legislators were elected to represent.  Instead, it is a betrayal of their constituents as they place their ideology and their lies created to support it above the good of this Country.

What I would like to see is the Democrats, along with the main stream media, be fair and honest with themselves and with the country.  Admit that while they don’t agree with Trump’s policies, that he is the duly elected president deserving of bipartisan support.  Acknowledge the many good things that are the result of the Presidents actions, most notably a more thriving economy including lowest unemployment in years for minorities, successes against ISIS and in other international issues, an end to the office of the president being a supporter of identity politics, to name a few.  I would like the Democrats to understand that being the loyal opposition does not mean fomenting hatred toward the president, but means supporting him in his efforts to do right for America, while opposing those policies with which they don’t agree.  It does not mean constant ad hominem attacks against a man whom they personally may not like.

In Communist societies, ideology regularly overcomes truth.  People are imprisoned or worse for not holding the Party’s ideology – its Truth.  That is not our tradition or our history in America, even though many Democrats would make it so.

It’s Time to End the Games

It has been almost a year since President Trump was sworn in, yet the Democrats continue to focus their energies against him instead of for the American people.

Let’s consider the most recent example.   The President shows both leadership and willingness to arrive at a bipartisan agreement on immigration issues:  some sort of permanent status for the dreamers of DACA while ending chain migration and building a wall or its equivalent form of southern border security.  That is, a compromise that is good for America and its people, where all sides get something of what they want while giving up something else to the other side. 

The problem for the Democrats is that such a bipartisan agreement could make the President look good.  So, after an initial meeting they must find a way to get out of this while at the same time making it somehow the President’s fault. 

So, we have the allegations that the President used a vulgar term to refer to Haiti and other nations.  This is from Democrat Senator Durbin.  We have the President’s denial while at the same time noting that he did use tough language in referring to those countries as well as to the immigration proposals.  Which story is all over the news? – the Democrat allegation.  That allegation is now the de facto truth for most people.  (Of course, even if it were true, this president is not the first to use vulgar language in the White House when referring to other countries as well as various other issues; we simply need to look at statements made by Nixon, Johnson, Bill Clinton to name but a few)  But, should the allegation of use of an off color term not be enough, Durbin now complains about the President’s use of the term “chain migration” as offensive to African-Americans and as proof of the President’s alleged racism (no matter that this is a term used by both Democrats and Republicans for years to refer to the fact that the families of one immigrant are often allowed to follow that immigrant into the country).

So, now the Democrats have an out.  They can refuse to work with the President on any bipartisan solution to the current immigration problems claiming his goals and hence the bipartisan proposals are simply racist.  And, I suspect that if any resolution for DACA or other immigration issues fails the Democrats (and the main stream media) will blame it on the President. 

The Democrats may find this sort of gamesmanship entertaining; they may see this situation along with the more general politics of the country as little more than a contest for them to win.  They certainly are not thinking of the country, or of the American people, or of the DACA people whom they pretend to support.

It is really long past time for the Democrats to give up their crusade to bring down the presidency of Donald Trump.   It is long past time for them to put their words into action and work for the good of the country and not simply for their own self-satisfying victories.  And, I hope that the time is here when the American people will see through these Democrat games and demand that they work not for themselves but for the country and the people whom they were elected to represent.

Understanding The Will of The People

When people like FBI Strzok and his fellow anti-Trump conspirators think that it is their job to obviate the will of the people, it shows their lack of understanding of our democracy.

To recap:  Peter Strzok is the highly placed FBI agent who was a key player in both the Clinton investigation and Mueller’s investigation of alleged collusion between Trump and Russia until he was removed after emails surfaced between him and his then mistress and fellow FBI anti-Trumper.  Those emails suggested not only his bias in favor of Clinton and against Trump in his use of the now debunked dossier against Trump, but also emails suggesting his desire to undermine and even unseat a Trump presidency.  His emails indicate that he believed that “we can’t afford to leave this in we the people’s hands.”  This from a well-placed member of the intelligence community who is sworn to protect, not subvert our democracy.

This is truly frightening. This sort of thinking, that one knows better than the full voting public what the outcome of an election should be, is a danger to our democracy.  This is the thinking that allows a dictator to “win” by unanimous vote following a show election.  This is the thinking that denies power to the people and places it in the hands of a select few, a group whose interests may or may not include the best interests of the people.  To ignore the implications of this thinking is to ignore the fragility of our democratic Republic and sow the seeds of its demise.

Now, I will be the first to admit that there are times when I wonder how the voting public can be so uninformed, how they can fail to think or to understand the full implications of a particular policy decision. I have often over many years wondered how the people could possibly have elected this or that candidate.   And when it looks completely hopeless I have momentarily thought that perhaps we would be better with a benevolent dictator.  But no, we would not!

My parents’ generation were fond of saying that the “country is going to hell in a handbasket.”  Generations before them had similar phrases.  Yet here we are.  Somehow, at the darkest moments the people come through, they do what is right and good, and the country continues and moves forward.  Sometimes what we thought was a good choice was not, or what we thought was a bad choice turns out in the end to be quite good.  We learn, and we grow.  And that is the beauty of our form of democracy. 

We are not subservient to the mind or the will or the limitations or the whims of a dictator or other elite class who believes that they know what is best for all.  We are not subservient because we are, through our elected representatives, our own government.  We have the freedom to select and direct our government, rather than submissively complying with an authoritarian regime.

Those who would negate our democratic process to implant their views, policies, and candidates are not working for the good of the country.  Their actions would destroy it and replace it with an oppressive regime, for any dictatorship, even a seemingly benevolent one, reflects a disdain for the people and their voice.  

In this country we the people speak, and we are governed according to our own voice.   Our voice is not unanimous and those whose voices were not as loud must understand that when another view prevails their voice continues to have the opportunity to be heard.  They must have patience, and if their views are truly better, the people will eventually hear and recognize that. But speaking and being heard in a democracy does not include overthrowing the will of the people in order to immediately foist one’s own views upon them.

Since Donald Trump became the Republican candidate for president, the Democrats, their supporters, and other anti-Trumpers have been trying to insert their will for that of the people.  Hence, we had the apparent plots to destroy his candidacy.  One might chalk that up to hardball campaigning, but once Mr. Trump became President Trump, elected by the will of the people according to our Constitution, it was everyone’s duty as good citizens to support that president and in so doing to support the will of the people.  Yet, what many have done since the first day of his presidency is try to invalidate and delegitimize that presidency.  Shame on the Democrats for thinking that their will should supplant that of the people. 

Sadly, it seems that the Democrats have forgotten that the people are the government and that the government only exists through the will of the people.  We see this in their words about the tax bill that just passed – things like the bill is “stealing from the government” or that the people are “looting the federal treasury.”  Do they not understand that the government is the people, that its money came from those very people who they claim are stealing it? Any money that the government has, the funding of its services and programs, all comes from the people.  If the people choose to fund fewer government bureaucracies, then they are simply retaining their own funds, they are not stealing or looting their own treasury.  Yet, the Democrats seem to believe that the people are subservient to their own government, a government which the Democrats seem to believe only they and their ideas should control.

One who actually understands our democracy does not go about conspiring to reverse the will of the people.   To do so is horribly arrogant in its complete disrespect for the people and the government that they elect.  If we let it, our democracy works.  Yes, sometimes it makes mistakes, but it is also able to correct itself and to move forward.  A true American supports our democracy rather than trying to subvert it, regardless of who is currently in office.  

The Democrats need to accept the will of the people, understand that there may actually be some good in it, and that we the people may very well know what we are doing.  In the words of Keith Richards and Mick Jagger: “You can’t always get what you want but if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need!”

The Costumed (Superficial/Shallow/Artificial/ Posturing) Society

People confuse appearances with deeper reality.  Perhaps it comes from misconstruing popular memes and sayings such as “If you believe it you achieve it,” “You can have anything you want if you dress for it,” or “If you want to be noticed, dress the part.”  Perhaps we are simply trained to focus on the superficial and to believe that if we get the superficial right, then we have succeeded in getting that which lies below the superficial right as well.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.

First example:

When someone has denied sexual allegations, does his resigning, being fired, or even committing suicide as a result of those unproven allegations make the women who made them feel empowered?  Perhaps it makes them feel momentarily powerful, but they are anything but empowered.  Instead, they have revealed a lack of empowerment in their absence from coming forward  or taking appropriate action at the time of the offense and more importantly in their inability to use the legal system or other procedural means that provide them the ability to prove their allegations definitively and receive true justice.  Instead of their own empowerment, they simply rely on the current nurturing of such claims by media and others, sometimes for their shock value alone and sometimes as a way of removing or destroying those whom are disliked.  That has nothing to do with true empowerment of women.

Second example:

People are encouraged if not often required by school, job, etc., to do some sort of good work and then broadcast their good works to others as if this is some sort of proof of their inner goodness.  It is not.  Yes, some people who do good deeds in the form of some sort of public or community service are good people within their souls, but that is not necessarily so.  Others may do good works because they are required to do so or because they believe that their good works are a way to advance their own agendas or simply their own popularity and acceptance.  That has nothing to do with true inner goodness.

You may ask “Really what difference does it make?  The “me too” allegations (even if some are less than accurate or taken out of context) are making people aware of the problem of sexual harassment and even good works done with less than good motives still serve the people to whom they are directed.” 

While that may be true, it is also an acceptance that ends justify means.  But in this case the perceived ends are only that – a perceived reality that sees only a superficial and whimsical truth.  There is a huge difference between outer dressing and truly meaningful actions.  Just as fashions change, so too do societal trends; what is meaningful today may be insignificant tomorrow.  Women who are feeling powerful as they see their allegations have major impacts on the lives of the men accused may not feel so powerful when society takes a different view of such allegations.  But, if the focus of “me too” was instead to truly empower women with an inner strength that is not dependent on the whims of society or the strength of others, then that empowerment would remain regardless of the current posturing of society. 

Similarly, while any good works are helpful at the time they are done, if they are only done because that is the current fashion of society, then they can end when the designs of society change.  If we encourage good works only for superficial or selfish reasons we are doing nothing to create good persons within themselves who would choose to do good works regardless of the current trends and whims of society.  Hence those good works and their benefit to those served could easily end, whereas if we were more concerned with creating truly good people then those works would be far more likely to remain permanently ongoing. 

Posturing is not Being.  I can put on costumes that make me most anything, but who I am is the person with all the costumes removed.  It is who I am in my soul.  That inner being is what gives me strength, not the clothes I put on; it is what gives me whatever goodness I may have, not the clothes that I put on.  Yet, society seems to be dazzled only by the clothes, the costumes.  We think that they are the definition of whom we are.  We think that our costumes alone will define and sustain our world.  Yet, at some point those costumes fall away and we are all left with a deeper reality that we must face.

It seems that today so many fear facing that inner reality, and so they simply don more and more costumes, costumes that make themselves and others feel good, but which can be discarded anytime at their own or society’s caprice.  The souls of so many in society seem empty, yet they do not understand that superficial costumes and actions will not fill them up.  And so, society itself begins to lose its soul.

We all need to step back from the daily hysteria, posturing, and shallow if not artificial interests and behaviors of our society.  We need to take some time to focus on what lies beneath the surface, in ourselves, our children, and our society.  We need to forget our costumes and nurture our souls.  For it is only that inner and deeper truth that empowers us and our society, giving us all a better and more meaningful reality.